Career: Rehabilitation Counselors
President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped pull the U.S. out of the Great Depression and led the nation through World War II. Yet, due to the disease polio, he couldn't walk on his own. He believed -- probably correctly -- that the nation would not easily accept his disability. So he hid it, leaning on others when he appeared in public.
Rehabilitation counselors help people with disabilities accept themselves and live full lives that include work. In doing so, they help create a more just world
for us all.
Rehabilitation counselors help people with disabilities caused by illnesses, accidents, birth defects, or stress. They provide counseling and help people get needed services, learn skills, find jobs, and live on their own.
“I like knowing about various types of jobs and being able to match them with people who are disabled.”
Marion, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
Are You Ready To...?
- Counsel people with disabilities
- Match client abilities with job requirements
- Create programs for clients including job-skill training and job placement
- Help clients get services, such as job coaching
- Read school and medical reports
- Work as part of a team
It Helps to Be...
Open-minded about people who may be different from you. You'll want to be able to focus on what they can do, not on what they can't. But you'll also need to appreciate the hardship faced by people with disabilities in our society.
Make High School Count
- Take psychology to learn about human development, emotions, and communication.
- Read about famous people with disabilities such as Helen Keller, Jim Abbott, and Stephen Hawking.
- Sign up to be a peer counselor or tutor at your school.
- Volunteer at a hospital or rehabilitation center.
Did You Know?
- Famous abolitionist Harriet Tubman had a disability called epilepsy -- a result of being struck on the head by a plantation overseer when she tried to stop him from whipping a slave.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for rehabilitation counselors to grow much faster than the average for all careers through 2016.
Thanks to medical progress, people are more likely to survive illnesses and accidents. They need rehabilitation counselors to help them recover. And thanks to a law against unfair hiring practices, more people with disabilities are taking jobs. Rehabilitation counselors can help them get ready for the workplace.
A lot of job openings in this career are due to high turnover -- many people leave the field because of low pay and high stress.
Compensation
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary of rehabilitation counselors in 2008 was $34,600.
